Due to user-friendly features such as drag-and-drop interfaces, low-code lower the entry barrier for the non-tech ones such as HR, marketers and operations teams to rapidly develop, deploy and maintain enterprise software applications. Apparently, low-code development enables businesses and individuals to create software through modular processes that require little to no coding.
1. What is low-code?
Low-code is a visual approach to software development that optimizes the entire development process to accelerate delivery. With low-code, you can abstract and automate every step of the application lifecycle to streamline the deployment of a variety of solutions.
2. How do low-code platforms work?
Low-code development works by extracting the more intuitive components of coding, representing them visually on the graphical UI of the development platform, while internally juxtaposing them to actual code.
Rather than writing the function itself, low-code development tools simply drag and drop the module where it belongs — which should be fairly obvious given the platform.
Running the code would produce the same effect as the aforementioned program. This is because each module represents real code that is encapsulated within the visual elements of a low-code development platform.
3. The birth of low-code
Visual Basic was initially released in 1991, was officially declared a legacy product in 2008, and was replaced by its successor Visual Basic .NET. Although many developers considered it the most dreaded programming language ever made, it was the first of what many view as a low-code integrated development environment (IDE), though the first true low-code application platforms actually appeared as fourth-generation programming language and rapid application development platforms in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
The benefits of low-code and no-code include reduced development costs, increased agility and productivity, shorter time to implementation, quicker adaption, greater employee engagement and innovation, and a much larger developer base within the organization, as it lowers the technical barrier to entry and provides opportunities for employees from various departments to participate in application development projects.
4. Why low-code is the answer for a non-technical audience?
4.1 Easier use
As the apps are not built from scratch, development is simplified, making it possible to focus more on fulfilling users’ wishes and requirements. According to Koushik Sen, renowned computer science lecturer at UC Berkeley, “Imagine a world where you do not have to write code, just say things and the computer does it for you.”
4.2 Faster development
Citizen developers can easily adjust and adapt the main components and basic code of their applications, meaning that the actual development is very fast. In addition, users can integrate and connect apps, processes, and workflows from existing applications. Forrester showed that low-code development platforms made development projects as much as 20 times faster than when done with traditional coding.
4.3 Increased automation
By establishing basic rules for decision-making, users can automate the design of workflows that can then be implemented in multiple information systems. Many low-codetools use RPA and employ artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to offer suggestions for automation based on existing data sets.
4.4 Simpler data integration
Creating workflows where information is collected, shared, processed, and stored makes data integration simpler and more flexible. low-codetools allow users to find, understand, and use data within a process. This will allow citizen developers to identify the source, ownership, validity, and quality of data across processes and make more informed and confident decisions.
4.6 More agility
Fast and easy development helps users respond to changing opportunities and regulatory/compliance issues quickly – often in real time. In addition, the simplicity of low-code platforms allows developers to experiment and test new ideas, without the need for large investments of IT or external resources. Furthermore, because low-codemakes development easier, this broadens the pool of developers and allows more citizen developers to contribute to the application creation using technology.
5. Why is low-code important at the present?
Right now, it is especially critical to remove barriers to entry, especially as customers’ needs and habits are changing and should be satisfied, while tighter budgets and fewer developers available to implement new code. The ability to write less code and still get the job done is an effective and efficient self-service model that saves customers the time they would typically spend waiting for new software solutions to be implemented.
Not even counting the growth of intrapreneurial initiatives in enterprise businesses, some corporate leaders are embracing the often hidden innovation talents of their marketing, sales, HR and other non-developer teams. By enabling those with situational awareness of daily operations to actively participate in development of enterprise apps using low-code platforms, they have found a growing developer base to tap into. Therefore, because of the nature of low-code, citizen developers are reaching for solutions to bridge that gap, and without such solutions the path to the digital age would be hindered substantially.
6. Get started with low-code development
Any individual or organization that wants to start low-code development must have a good understanding of low-code tools. For instance, IT departments and others who have some background in programming languages typically use low-code tools to build mission-critical, custom applications. Business users without coding skills use no-code platforms to streamline their day-to-day operations.
Different low-code tools can be used by different departments, from software developers to business users. To determine the best low-code development platform, the one that makes it easier and faster for users to create software applications should be the answer. Using a visual, model-driven approach, low-code platforms eliminate the need for coding expertise and transform the way lines of business collaborate with IT development teams to deliver applications.
Mendix is the only high-productivity application platform (hpaPaaS) for low-code app development that provides a comprehensive and integrated set of tools and services for managing the entire app lifecycle. Furthermore, Mendix has a platform evaluation guide to provide more specific information with frequent questions that users usually have related to this field. Besides, they have a forum where developers as well as non-tech ones come together to discuss, research, and learn from each other to stimulate the development of ideas and projects.
After reading this article, Kyanon Digital hopes that you have a better understanding of low-code and how it can benefit people who are not developers as well as business growth.
As a Mendix solution partner, Kyanon Digital works hard to ensure this partnership’s goal is to accelerate digital transformation for our clients by providing excellent low-code solutions from Mendix. We’re also keen to dramatically boost the development of new apps, enhance the power of pre-built and customized low-code solutions, and expand the business ecosystem.
If you have any questions related to this matter, do not hesitate to contact us for specific consultation.
